Feed knife of noble&#39;s and the like combing machines



Dec. 21 1926. 1,611,539

w. LAYLAND FEED KNIFE OF NOBLES AND THE- LIKE COMBING MACHINES Filed May 1, 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 W. LAYLAND FEED KNIFE OF NOBLES AND THE LIKE COMBING MACHINES Dec. 21 1926.

Filed May 1. 192 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Dec. 2131926. 7 1,611,539 W. LAYLAND V FEED KNIFE OF NOBLES AND THE LIKE COMBING MACHINES Filed May 1, 1926 s Sheets- Sheet 3 Patented Dec. 21, 1926.

warren stares WILFRED LAYLAIID, or :nnnns, ENGLAND. 4,

FEED KNIFE or NOBLES AND -LIKE G'OlI B ING MACHINES;

Application filed May 1, 1926; Serial 1%. 108,019, and in Great Britain 'Fehruary' 5, 1926.

This invention relates to the feed knives of Nobles and the like combing machines, and has particular reference to that type of feed knife which is adapted to be automatically a raised through the medium of toothed gearing and associated tappet mechanism intermittei'itly actuated by a projection or projections provided say on one of the feed boxes or other going part of the combing machine,

In the automatic raising of the feed knife having the effect of ensuring constant feed of the slivers irrespective of the gradual decrease of diameter of the balls.

Now the object of the present invention is to provide a new or improved feed knife raising. mechanism of the type above referred to.

According to the invention, the feed knife is carried at its forward or toe end by a screwed spindle having threaded thereon a toothed wheel adapted to bear against a carrier bracket and asecond or lower toothed wheel having a less number of teeth than the upperwheel and being fixed to the said screwed spindle, andthe said pair of toothed wheels normally mesh with a common pinion adapted to be partially and intermittently rotated saj through provided gearing, every time a projection or projections, say onone or more of the feedboxes, actuate an associated tappet lever.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect, the same will now be more fully described with reference to and by the aid of the accompanying drawings, wherein :Figures 1, 2 and 8 are respectively a front elevation, plan, and side elevation of a combing machine feed knife and associated automatic raising mechanism.

Referring to the drawings, the feed knife 1 is carried at its forward or toe end by a screwed spindle 2 having threaded thereon a toothed wheel 3 adapted to bear against a carrier bracket or framed and a second or lower toothed wheel ,5 having a less number of teeth than the upper wheel 3 and being fixed to the said screwed spindle 2-, and the said pair of toothed wheels 3, 5, normally mesh with a common pinion 6 adapted to be partially and intermittently rotated say through the medium of aratchet wheel 7 :[ixerl on the pinion shaft 8, everytime a pro" jection or projections say on one or more of the feed boxes, actuate an associated tappet lGVQl'Q' carrying an operating ratchet pawl 10. T he cz'ir-rier bracket 4 oi the screwed spindle 2 is made in two parts, the lower one of which isvertically adjustable in gu-ides ll in a ver tical fixfed bracket 12thro'ugh' the medium of anas'sociated threaded lug .ornut 13 and a vertical screw 14 providedat its upper end with a hand wheel 15, lock nuts 16 being provided for securing theparts in the adj'usted position.- The upper part of'thecarri'er bracket 4 ishOriZOntaIlyand' radially adjustable with respectto the large circular comb ('not shown) through the medium of pin and slot-mechanism 17, the pins of which are screw threaded and provided with lock nuts 18 for securing said upper part ofthe bracket 4 in the radially adjusted position. The bracket 4 also carries'a vertical screw 19 to the lower end of which the heel of the feed knife 1 is attached, said screw 19 being provided at itsupper end with a-hand wheel 20 wherebvthe heel o-f'the knife may bevertically adjusted. The shaft 8. of the pinion 6 is mountedin' a. bracket 21 pi'votally attached at 22 to the bracket 4, and said'pivotally mounted bracket 21 is pressedby a spring- 23 which tends to keep, thepinion 6' in mesh with the toothed wheels 3.= 5. When the bracket 21' is-rocked on its pivot 22 to. withdraw the pinion 6. from mesh with the toothed wheels 3:, 5, an associated ratchet pawl 2 1'is adaptedto be brought into engagement with the upper toothed wheel3 and lock' the latter against rotation; thereby enabling the said toothed wheel 3 to function as a nut and permit of the screwed spindle 2 being screwed down, through the medium of a hand wheel25 fixed to its upper end so as to return theknife 1 to its lowest or starting position or adjustment. The hand wheel25, preferably has a depending boss40, which'is suitably ke ed to thejspindle 2, as 11:41, and coacts with a washer 12, for limitingthe downward movement of the spindle;- As shown in Figure 1'; the spindle 2, is inits lowest or starting position so that when" it is moved upwardly, a clearance will be formed between the-toss 40, and the Washer 42.

While the upper 7 wheel is prevented ram vertical. movement by: reason of its bearing against the underside of the bracket 1-, it is capable of rotational screwing movement on the spindle 2, (which is vertically slidable through the bracket 4) when driven by the pinion (3. The lower wheel 5 is fixed to the spindle 2 so as to rotate the latter with it when driven by the pinion 2. Since the lower Wheel 5, has a less number of teeth than the upper wheel 3, the former is driven at a slightly greater speed than the latter, e. g., if the upper wheel 3 has 25 teeth and the lower wheel 5 has 24 teeth, the wheel 3 will make 24/25ths of a revolution for every complete revolution of the wheel 5. Thus, every revolution of the wheel 5, tends to screw up the spindle 2, through the Wheel 3. a distance equal to the pitch of the spindle thread, but 24/25ths of this lifting tendency is counteracted by the simultaneous rotational screwing movement of the wheel 3 on the spindle; hence the effective lift imparted to the spindle 2 for-every complete revolution of the latter is 1/25th of the screw pitch.

It will be seen, therefore, that the spindle 2, with its associated feed knife 1, will be very gradually raised by the action of the reduction gear provided by the pinion 6, pair of wheels 3 and 5, and the screwed spindle 2.

In order that the throw of the tappet lever 9 may be varied, the pivotally mounted bracket 21 has associated therewith a vertically depending bar or arm 26 adapted to be adjustably secured to the said bracket 21 through the medium of an arcuate slot 27 and lock-nut mechanism 28, said adjustable bar or arm 26 being adapted to engage the tappet lever 9 whici is adapted when actuated against the action of an associated spring 29, to partially rotate the pinion (5 through the medium of the pawl 10, which is pressed by a spring 30, and the ratchet wheel 7. To facilitate and to give a visual indication of the setting of the throw control mechanism of the tappet lever 9, the pivotally mounted bracket 21 provided adjacent the arcuate slot 27 with a graduated scale, and the depending bar or arm 2b has an associated pointer 31. adapted to indicate readings on the scale.

It will be seen that in employing the above described feed knife mechanism, the knife l may be initially set through the medium of the adjusting mechanism of the supporting bracket l, the knife heel ailjusting mechanism 19, 20, and the throw-controlling mechanism 26, 27, 28 of the tappet lever 9. and after this initial setting the knife 1. will be automatically and gradually raised by means of the reduction gear provided by the pinion 6, pair of toothed wheels 3, 5, and screwed spindle 2. so as to ensure a constant or even feed of the slivers to the combs. lVhen it is desired to refill the combing machine with a fresh set of balls, and reset the feed knife mechanism to. its starting position, this may be effected by withdrawing the pinion (3 from mesh with the pair of toothed wheels 3 and 5, and screwing down the screwed. spindle 2 by means of the hand wheel 15.

I claim 1. A combing machine of the class described having in combination a carrier frame, a feed knife, a rotatable shaft on said frame and operatively connected to said knife, a pair of spaced driving members carried by said shaft, one of said members being movable relative to the other, and means connected to said driving members for actuating said knife.

2. A combing machine of the class described having in combination a carrier frame, a feed knife, a rotatable shaft on said frame and operatively connected to said knife, a pair of spacet driving i'nemhers car ried by said shaft, one of said members being movable relative to the other, and means connected to said driving members and disengageable therefrom for actuating said knife.

3. A combing machine of the class dcscribed having in combination a carrier frame, a feed knife, a rotatable shaft on said frame and operatively connected to said knife for moving the same, spaced tooth wheels carried by said shaft, one 'of said wheels being threaded to said shaft so as to he moved relative to the other wheel, -1 pinion on said frame adapted to normally mesh with said wheels for actuating said shaft, means for maintaining said pinion out of engagement with said wheels, and means connected to said pinion and operable by movement of the machine for actuating said feed knife.

l. A combing machine of the class described having in combination a carrier frame, a feed knife, a rotatable shaft on said frame and operatively connected to said knife for moving the same, spaced tooth wheels carried by said shaft, one of said wheels being threaded to said sha ft and having a different number of teeth therein than the other, a pinion on said frame adapted to normally mesh with said wheels for actuating the feed knife, means for moving said pinion into and out of engagement with said wheels, and means for manually opmnting said shaft when said pinion is (liscngugcd therefrom.

5. A combing machine of the class do.

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near-1,539

sociatcd with said pinion for rotating the same, said tappet mechanism being actuated by a movable part of the combingmachine.

6. A combing macl'iine of the class described having in combination a carrierframe, a feed knife, a threaded shaft on said frame and operatively connected to said feed knife, one of said wheels being threadedly connected to said shaft and the other non-rotatably secured thereto, a pair of spaced tooth wheels carried by said shaft, a drive pinion movably mounted on said frame and normally engaging said tooth wheels, a tappet mechanism associated with said pinion for rotating the same, and means for varying the throw of the tappet. mechanism.

7. A combing machine of the class described having in combination a carrier frame, a feed knife,- a threaded shaft on said frame and operatively connected to said feed knife, one of said wheels being threaded to said shaft and the other non-rotatably secured thereto, a pair of spaced tooth wheels carried by said shaft,a bracket pivotally connected to said frame, a driving member carried by said bracket and adapted to normally engage said tooth wheels, means for maintaining said driving member out of engagement with said tooth wheels, means for locking one of said tooth wheels against rotation so that it acts as a nut when the driving member is disengaged therefrom, and means for manually actuating said shaft.

8. A combing machine of the class described having in combination an adjustable carrier frame, a feed knife, a member connecting said feed knife to said carrier frame, a driving mechanism normally connected to said member for actuating the feed knife, means for maintaining said driving mechanism out of engagement with said member, and means for manually actuating said member.

9. A combing machine of the class described having in combination a carrier frame, a feed knife, a threaded shaft on said frame and operatively connected to said feed knife, a pair of spaced tooth wheels carried by said shaft, one of the Wheels being threaded to said shaft and the other nonrotatably secured thereto, a bracket movably connected to said frame, a driving member carried by said bracketand adapted to normally engage said tooth Wheels, means for maintaining said driving member out of engagement with said tooth wheels, means for locking one of said tooth wheels against rotation when said driving member is disengaged from said shaft. means for manually operating said shaft, and a tappet mechanism operatively connected to said driving member for actuating said knife.

10. A combing machine of the class described having in combination a vertically adjustable carrier frame, a feed knife, a threaded shaft on said frame and operative- 'Ly connected-to said feed knife, a pinion for rotating said shaft, anda tappet mechanism operativel y' associated with-said pinion, said tappet mechanism"adapted to be actuated by nected to said pinion for rotating the same, 7

said tappet mechanism being operable by engagement with a movable part of the combing machine, and means associated with said frame for varying the throw of, the tappct mechanism.

12. A combing machine of the class described having in combination a carrier frame, a feed knife, means for automatical- 1y raising said knife comprising a threaded shaft mounted on said frame and connected to one end of said knife, a pair of toothed wheels carried by said shaft, one of said wheels being movably connected to said shaft and the other non-rotatably secured thereto, a pinion pivoted to said frame and normally engaging said toothed wheels and adapted to be moved relative thereto, means for locking one of the wheels against rotation on said shaft when said pinion is disengaged from the wheels, a tappet mechanism connected to said pinion for intermittently actuating the same, and an adjustable member mounted on said frame and connected to the other end of said knife.

13. A combing machine of the class described having in combination a vertically and longitudinally adjustable carrier frame, a feed knife, a pair of vertically adjustable members connecting the feed knife to the frame, spaced tooth wheels carried by one of said members, means for moving one of said Wheels vertical to the other, a movable pinion mounted on said frame and normally engaging said tooth wheels, and a tappet mechanism operatively associated with said pinion, said tappet mechanism adapted to be actuated by a movable part of the combing machine.

14. A combing machine of the class described having in combination a carrier frame, a feed knife, vertically adjustable means connecting one end of the said knife to said carrier frame, a threaded shaft connecting the opposite end of the feed knife to said frame, a pair of spaced tooth wheels carried by said threaded shaft, one of said Wheels being non-rotatably secured to the shaft and the other wheel provided with means for permitting the same to be moved vertically, a pinion on said frame normally engaging said wheels for actuating the feed knife, means for maintaining said pinion out of engagement with said Wheels, means for manually operating said shaft when said pinion is disengaged from said Wheels, and a tappet mechanism operatively associated With said pinion, said tappet mechanism adapted to be actuated by a movable part of the combing machine.

VVILFRED LAYLAND. 

